Latest news with #Neuqua
Chicago Tribune
2 days ago
- Sport
- Chicago Tribune
The future's so bright for Iowa recruit Kiyah Chavez. And Oswego's catcher keeps the sunglasses on. ‘A superstar.'
Senior catcher Kiyah Chavez definitely has her eyes on the prize for Oswego. She just doesn't want opponents — especially base runners — getting too good of a look. It's why the Iowa recruit keeps her sunglasses on come rain or shine, even if it's overcast from the haze of Canadian wildfires like it was Friday afternoon. Besides, those orange shades look good, matching perfectly with the orange lettering on her Panthers' jersey. 'Honestly, I do have a pair of Oakleys and I do like them,' Chavez said. 'But the glasses I'm wearing belong to (senior outfielder) Rhiana Martinez. I just like them. They look cooler. 'I'm pretty big about wearing my glasses because, as I'm sure you've seen, one of my favorite things to do is pick off runners. If they can see where I'm looking, it's kind of a problem.' Chavez, the area's reigning player of the year, looked and played the part Friday for Oswego in a 6-0 win over Neuqua Valley in the Class 4A Oswego East Regional championship game. Jaelynn Anthony ended up taking a no-hitter for Oswego (33-2) into the sixth inning against Neuqua (17-15), and Chavez provided a huge part of the backing with two singles and two RBIs. On top of that, Chavez threw out one runner trying to steal second base and came within an eyelash of picking off another at first. But her work in the batter's box continues to impress. 'That's what I've got in my head when I go up there to bat,' said Chavez, who raised her batting average to .555 (60-for-108) with 59 RBIs, both team highs. 'I'm thinking, 'Do your job.'' Anthony did her job with 11 strikeouts in pitching a two-hitter for the Panthers, who play at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday against the host Foxes (24-12) in a Yorkville Sectional semifinal. Oswego took third in the state last season. Yorkville beat Plainfield 1-0 Friday in a regional final. 'This year, Jaelynn knows what it's about now,' Oswego co-coach Annie Scaramuzzi said. 'Every win last year was a surprise. This year, we've been there, we've done that. 'We know what to expect and our players do, too. We're led by 10 seniors and 12 returners from last year's state run. We know what to expect and what it's going to take.' As for that pick-off throw to senior first baseman Rikka Ludvigson? 'Rikka and I have kind of a really subtle sign for when we're gonna do something,' Chavez said. 'I use it with our third basemen, too. I'll take any advantage I can get.' As for the call? 'Oh, she was out,' Chavez said. ' She was so out, totally out.' Scaramuzzi said the coaching staff felt it would be a challenge facing Neuqua and standout senior pitcher Ava Drehs, a Creighton recruit. 'We knew we'd need our small ball and we'd need clutch hits,' Scaramuzzi said. 'One through 10, we did an excellent job of executing, making the defense work by putting the ball in play.' Junior shortstop Kennedy Gengler, batting eighth, led an eight-hit attack with three singles. The Panthers, who have 50 homers and a .411 team batting average, didn't produce an extra-base hit. Five Neuqua errors, though, helped the cause as Drehs allowed just one earned run. All of that started with Chavez. 'She's a difference-maker on both sides of the ball,' Scaramuzzi said. 'Jaelynn trusts her and they're a great pair, so together they are unstoppable in my opinion.' Anthony also had four assists fielding her position. She started a double play with a force to Gengler, who then threw to Ludvigson. 'Those are key plays on defense that really shift momentum for us,' Scaramuzzi said. 'Kiyah and Rikka work well together for those picks and Kiyah, obviously, is a superstar at the plate. 'She's gonna get the job done whenever the opportunity presents itself.'
Chicago Tribune
4 days ago
- Sport
- Chicago Tribune
Known for his pitching, West Aurora's Zach Toma takes his hitting to whole nother level. ‘Just feeling confident.'
West Aurora's Zach Toma is best known for his pitching, and rightfully so. The junior left-hander has been one of the area's breakout stars this season. What casual observers may not realize is he has also become the Blackhawks' leading hitter this spring. So, bring on the spotlight in the batter's box. 'I really wanted to be the guy up in that situation,' Toma said. 'I felt like I was seeing the ball really well, and I kind of felt like he was going to throw me a curveball in that situation. 'I got it and didn't miss it.' Indeed, Toma's two-run double in the bottom of the fourth inning Wednesday was the difference in a 5-3 victory over Neuqua Valley in a Class 4A Waubonsie Valley Regional semifinal in Aurora. Toma also settled in on the mound after his big hit and finished off a complete-game win for the Blackhawks (27-7), who will play at 11 a.m. Saturday for the regional title against the semifinal winner between Naperville Central (19-11) and Waubonsie Valley (14-12). While Toma struck out six and allowed three runs, two earned, on three his and two walks, Braiden Williams came through with a pinch-hit, two-run single in the fourth to tie the game. Henry Hinkle and Eliseo Liscano added two hits apiece for West Aurora. Colton Maita doubled and scored for Neuqua (13-17-1). But the big double by Toma loomed large in the end. 'I expected it out of him,' West Aurora coach John Reeves said. 'He's been great with the bat in his hands. He can do it both ways, on the mound and at the plate.' That's true on both accounts. Offensively, Toma leads the team with 46 RBIs. As far as the pitching part of the equation goes, Toma improved his record to 7-2 with a 1.07 ERA. Reeves credited a program-wide mandate to increase time in the weight room as helping with that process. Mason Atkins and Toma, two football players, took it to heart the most. 'They spent a lot of time in the weight room, which I think shows,' Reeves said. 'Especially with guys like Mason and Zach.' Toma cited several factors for his offensive breakout, including switching travel teams and reworking his swing. The biggest factor, he agreed, came in the weight room. 'The strength part of it especially, we lift all the time,' Toma said. 'We lift in season. In past years, I haven't lifted in season. This year, that's been a huge difference-maker with my strength. 'Just feeling confident up there. Our coaches pushed the whole team into the weight room. And then Mason, he's always getting on me about lifting after practice, so it helps.' Toma's offense was needed after he got off to an uncharacteristically shaky start on the mound. Through 3 1/3 innings Wednesday, he trailed 3-1. He retired the final two batters of the fourth to get out of a jam, however. After his double, he retired Neuqua's final nine hitters in order. 'The beginning of the game, I wasn't getting that first-pitch strike down,' Toma said. 'Then toward the end, I really started to get that pitch down. 'Getting that first-pitch strike is huge, man. Then you have every pitch in your arsenal to throw.' Toma's heroics were set up by Williams' clutch hit, which helped the Blackhawks catch their collective breath. 'It felt really good to help the team out and win this game,' Williams said. 'That just raised our confidence and helped us.' It's always nerve-racking to be in a close game in a one-and-done scenario, but Toma was unfazed. He hopes that paves the way to the program's first regional title since 2006. 'It got me nervous a little bit, but to be honest, we had so much time left and I have a lot of confidence in our hitters,' Toma said. 'I knew we'd come through and scrap out some runs.'
Chicago Tribune
09-04-2025
- Business
- Chicago Tribune
District 204 school board OKs nearly $1 million renovation of Foods Lab at Neuqua Valley High School
At its meeting Monday, the Indian Prairie School District 204 board OK'd another summer renovation project, this one at Neuqua Valley High School in Naperville. The project is a renovation of Neuqua's Foods Lab, per Monday's meeting agenda. The district's architect, STR Partners, bid the project and received five bids from contractors, the agenda said. The district decided on the lowest responsible bidder: Construction, Inc., from Lombard. The project is estimated to cost $944,000, per Monday's meeting agenda. The Foods Lab at Neuqua is used for a Career Technical Education course that teaches culinary arts, baking and knife skills, career development and the experience of running a restaurant, the district's director of building operations John Robinson told The Beacon-News in an email on Wednesday. The renovations will include building six teaching stations in the lab's two classrooms, along with new cooking equipment, sinks and disposals, lighting, ventilation and exhaust and other room renovations, officials said. The Foods Lab renovation adds to the growing number of summer projects set to be completed over the summer to update the district's facilities. In early February, the board approved $3 million in flooring replacements, about $2.1 million in paving work, just under $1.5 million in roofing and gutter repairs and about $600,000 to install four new playgrounds at various schools in the district, according to past reporting. In March, the board OK'd another $15.5 million in capital projects, which include constructing secure entryways at 11 elementary schools, replacing lighting systems with LED fixtures at several schools to improve energy efficiency and installing remote access at 22 schools that would allow school personnel to check the status of the schools' HVAC systems remotely. Later in March, the board also gave the green light to a $7.6 million renovation project for Waubonsie Valley High School's auditorium – a project that will include new seats, house lights, theater lights, sound systems, flooring and other renovations, district officials have previously said. It will also include aesthetics upgrades and Americans with Disabilities Act upgrades that will bring the building up to code, officials have previously said. The district is pursuing significant facilities upgrades as a result of the successful passage of a $420 million bond sale referendum by voters last November. The funds generated by the district's bond sales can only go toward capital projects, not day-to-day operating expenses, according to past reporting. For the projects taking place over the summer and into next fall, the district intends to spend around $40 million across this fiscal year and the next, the district's chief school business official Matthew Shipley has previously said. The $420 million in bonds are set to be issued through 2029 to fund projects through 2032, according to past reporting, and bond payments are expected to continue for 12 to 15 years after all the projects are completed.
